Watford have rolled out the red carpet and invited the Rocket Man himself, Sir Elton John to join Saturday’s emotional tribute to Graham Taylor.

No memorial for Hornets godfather Taylor, who died on Thursday aged 72, would be complete without his former chairman who financed the club’s magic carpet ride.

In a heartfelt testimonial to the ex-England manager, Sir Elton spoke of the “unbreakable bond” he forged with the man he regarded as an older brother, and who transformed his beloved Watford from anonymity to runners-up in the League behind champions Liverpool 34 years ago.

Taylor was also a pioneer for football as safe entertainment for fans of all ages - even in an age of hooligan excess – as the driving force behind family enclosures where kids were given birthday cards and invited to Junior Hornets discos where the DJ was Watford winger Nigel Callaghan.

The pair were great friends through their time at Watford

Somewhere, amid the outpouring of grief, Sir Elton’s beloved club needs to put the brakes on a slide down the Premier League table and replenish a worrying sequence of one point from a possible 15.

Skipper and talisman Troy Deeney, one of the first to sign a book of remembrance for Taylor in the club shop, has called on his team-mates to deliver an appropriate tribute.

Deeney said: “I don’t think I have enough words to express the gratitude and respect everyone at Watford Football Club has for him.

Sir Elton pulls a funny face behind Taylor (Image: Mirrorpix)

“We’ve got to make sure we do him proud. I’ll be having a word with the squad to let them know, if they didn’t already, how big this is for the town.

“Football is just a game, but as an occasion this is much bigger than that. The fans will be up for it, hopefully Graham’s family will be at the game and we can show them how much we respected him.

“I’ve been here for nearly seven years now and I can’t begin to describe how massive his loss will be felt around the town.

“My grandad was a Villa fan and he actually stopped his season ticket there when Graham Taylor left, so he’s been a part of my family for a long, long time.”

The pair had a close bond for many years

On-loan Everton midfielder Tom Cleverley will go straight into the squad after Watford manager Walter Mazzarri moved quickly to bring the former England international back to Vicarage Road in midweek.

Cleverley was voted player of the season after the Hornets borrowed him from Manchester United for the 2009-10 campaign under Malky Mackay.

When Mackay admitted the Hornets could not afford United’s £300,000 loan fee for Cleverley, Sir Alex Ferguson told him to pay a portion of it up front and settle the balance on the 12th of never.

Tom Cleverley has been brought in by Watford for the weekend (Image: Getty Images)

Mazzarri said: “We already had many reasons to win the game on Saturday, and now we have Graham Taylor. I hope together we can dedicate a victory to his memory.

“I saw Cleverley play many times for Manchester United and Everton. He has a lot of quality and we hope we can help him play even better.

“He knows the Premier League well, and I think his personality and experience this this level will be an asset.”

Also appearing at Vicarage Road today will be Middlesbrough. They have been invited to join the minute’s applause for Taylor.